Electrically operated bassinet rocking device



y 5 E. F. GAREY 2,884,651

ELECTRICALLY OPERATED BASSINET ROCKING DEVICE Filed March 27, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @mumm unumnL i J INVENTOR. fowaro' 1". Garey- United States Patent Patented May 5, 1959 ice ELECTRICALLY OPERATED BASSINET ROCKING DEVICE Edward- F-. Garey, 'West'Memphis, Ark.

.- Application March 27, 1957, Serial No. 648,928

' 1 Claim. '(Cl; -109) The present invention relates 'to a bassinet supporting means, and means for automatically rocking said bas sinet.

One of the principal objects 'oftheinvention is to provide a bassinet with novelmeans for'supporting the same, and automatic means for continuously rocking the hassinet until the child locatedwithin the same is asleep.

A further object is to provide a construction of the type wherein the entire bassinet supporting means is demount able, which permits the same to be transported from place to place in knock-down position, i.e., from factory to warehouse or store, or Whilewbeingtransported in an automotive vehicle.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the rocking moment of the bassinet.

An additional object is to provide a simplified construction for automatically rocking a bassinet to and fro in a longitudinal direction in such manner as to soothe and put to sleep a child supported by the bassinet.

Other objects will appear hereinafter throughout the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of the bassinet and its supporting means, and means for rocking the same;

Figure 2 is a front perspective view with a bassinet partly broken away;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the motor and drive mechanism with the motor casing shown in section; and

Figure 4 is a side elevational View of the pitman, partly broken away, and the means for adjustably attaching its spring thereto.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A indicates a bassinet of conventional construction for holding an infant. The bassinet is supported adjacent its ends by a plurality of contractible springs 10, 12, 14 and 16. A plurality of hooks 18 or other fastening means form the lower and upper ends of the springs, and these hooks, as shown in detail in Figure 2, are attached to screws 20 having eyes 22 which are engaged by the lower hooks 18. The upper hooks 18 are adapted to engage the eyes of screws 20. Each of these screws is fastened by threads or otherwise to the upper ends of the inclined posts 24, 26, 28 and 30.

It will be understood, therefore, that the four corners of the bassinet A are resiliently supported by the springs 10, 12, 14 and 16, and that the bassinet may be oscillated in a direction longitudinally of the same. The means for causing such oscillation will be presently explained.

The lower ends of the posts 24, 26, 28 and 30 are removably supported at inclined sockets 32 of the longitudinal frame pieces 34 and 35. These frame pieces are prevented from movement relative to each other by the transverse frame pieces 36 and 38.

Extending longitudinally of the bassinet so as to bridge the frame pieces 36 and 38 is a platform or support 40. It will be understood that the platform is fastened by suitable means, not shown, to the transverse frame pieces.

Supported 'on :theplatformis a casin'g 42 having :flanges 44 for fastening. theisame' to the'lplatform. .Anelect-ric motor 46, as show'n'in Figure 3, is supportedby brackets 48 on the casing 42. Themotor,which preferably: is a motor having. a slow rpm. of say 60 r.p.-m.,.is provided with a drive shaft 50; which is attached by a coupling member 52 to the .driveshaft 54. This shaft has on its end a crank arm 56, and attached. to said crank arm by a rotary bearing member 58 is apitman=60.

'The' pitman :60 is providedadjacent its opposite end with a plurality of spaced holes or apertures 62,- so as to be selectively engaged by the.-hooked:end. 44 of the spring 66. The oppositeend of this spring is also provided with a hooked end 68 which engages the eyeof a fastener, which maybe a screw or a'rivet, said fastener being attached as in'Figures l= and 2, substantially centrally of one end of the bassinet.

Casing 42. is provided: with an enlarged opening-or slot 72 so asto permit free movementof the pitman 60. The casing is "also provided with an aperture 74 'for an electrical cord 78, which is connected with the motor, the opposite end 'ofthe cord being provided with the usual plug '80 .for plugging into a source of electrical potential, such as an electric wall socket.

Preferably thelongitudinal'frame pieces -areprovided with openings. on the under sides thereof for thereception of removable castors 82.

It will be appreciated that the device of this invention may be very quickly disassembled by merely removing the posts 24, 26, 28 and 30 from their sockets within the longitudinal frame pieces and unhooking the upper ends of said posts from the upper books 22 of the springs, and disengaging the spring hook 68 from its fastening member 70. The device may be reassembled by merely connecting the members to each other by replacing the posts on their frame pieces, and connecting the hooks forming the ends of springs 10, 12, 1 4, 16 and 66 to the eyes of the several fastening members.

A further important feature of the invention, in addition to its simplicity and ruggedness, is a means for adjusting the amplitude of rocking movement of the bassinet. This may be readily accomplished by disengaging hook 64 from one of the openings 62 to another of said openings.

It will be appreciated that conventional reduction gearing may be mounted on either shaft 50 or 54, or it may take the place of shaft coupling 52. A slowly rotating motor of about 60 r.p.m. would not require any reduction gearing.

It will be further understood that any suitable wellknown time-controlled switch may be connected to the cord 78 or to the motor itself, whereby the switch will be disconnected within a definite amount of time. When the motor is disconnected the oscillation of the bassinet will, of course, cease, it being assumed that the time is so set that the child will be asleep at the time the motor is shut off.

The above description and drawings disclose a single embodiment of the invention, and specific language has been used in describing the several figures. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitations of the scope of the invention are thereby contemplated, and that various alterations and modifications may be made such as would occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

I claim:

A bassinet rocking device comprising a horizontally disposed elongated frame and. a bassinet supported above said frame, said frame comprising a pair of spaced side members and a pair of spaced end members connecting said side members, an outwardly and upwardly inclined socket adjacent each end of each side member, a post 3 mounted in each of said sockets, said basinet having elongated sides, and ends, said posts being in spaced relationship with said sides only when to permit unobstructed rocking movements of said bassinet in a direction parallel to said sides, means to resiliently support said bassinet in normally spaced relationship to said posts, said means comprising elongated springs each attached at its upper end adjacent the upper end of one of said posts and at its lower end adjacent the bottom of said bassinet, each spring extending obliquely from a vertical line downwardly and inwardly from one of said posts to a side of said bassinet adjacent the bottom of the same, an electric motor mounted on said frame, a drive shaft operatively connected to and actuated by said motor, said drive shaft having eccentric means at its outer end, a pitman extending longitudinally of said bassinet and pivotally connected at one end to said eccentric means, means for connecting the other end of said pitman to one of said ends of said bassinet, whereby when said pitman is operated by said motor and eccentric means the bassinet will be moved to and fro in a direction longitudinally of the frame, said means for connecting the end of said pitman to said bassinet comprising a series of apertures in said pitman, a coil spring connected at one of its ends to an end of said bassinet substantially midway between a pair of bassinet supporting springs and the other end of said spring adjustably inserted in one of said apertures whereby the power from said motor is applied longitudinally of the 4 frame and bassinet through the resilient coils of said last-named spring to said bassinet to thereby cushion the reversible movements of the bassinet, said apertures permitting the position of said coil spring on said pitman to be varied.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 462,178 Thomas Oct. 27, 1891 564,678 Woodward July 28, 1896 597,168 Millard Jan. 11, 1898 598,473 Cofiman Feb. 1, 1898 674,682 Kersey May 21, 1901 910,888 Wilson Jan. 26, 1909 1,261,400 Johnson Apr. 2, 1918 1,347,451 Flie July 20, 1920 1,357,878 Lark Nov. 2, 1920 1,420,134 Nisle June 20, 1922 1,420,582 Shea June 20, 1922 1,476,146 Cappabianca Dec. 4, 1923 1,508,500 Bingen Sept. 16, 1924 1,893,084 Januszewski Jan. 3, 1933 1,992,127 Marlowe Feb. 19, 1935 2,380,355 Worley July 10, 1945 2,566,983 Coltrane Sept. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,113 Great Britain of 1912 

